untitled
by rebel kate
Summary: Immediately after 'Chosen'. Some members of the gang celebrate their victory by getting drunk, while others aren't in a very celebratey mood. From Buffy's POV. Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER..
1. Default Chapter

May 20th, 2003  
  
I stood there, staring at the canyon that was once Sunnydale. Dawn was beside me, and then Giles joined us, as did Xander, Willow, and Faith.  
  
Faith: Looks like the hellmouth is officially closed for business.  
  
Giles: There is another one in Cleveland. Not to spoil the moment. *bends down to pick up a rock and throws it into the canyon*  
  
Xander: We saved the world.  
  
Willow: We changed the world. *walks up to my side* I can feel them, Buffy. All over. Slayers are awakening everywhere.  
  
Dawn: We'll have to find them.  
  
Willow: We will.  
  
Giles: *paces behind us* Yes, because the mall was actually in Sunnydale, so there's no hope of going there tomorrow.  
  
Dawn: We destroyed the mall? I fought on the wrong side.  
  
Xander: All those shops gone. The Gap, Starbucks, Toys "R" Us. Who will remember all those landmarks unless we tell the world about them?  
  
Giles: We have a lot of work ahead of us.  
  
Faith: [to Willow] Can I push him in?  
  
Willow: You've got my vote.  
  
Faith: I just want to sleep, yo, for like a week.  
  
Dawn: I guess we all could, if we wanted to.  
  
Willow: Yeah. *smiles* The First is scrunched, so... what do you think we should do, Buffy?  
  
Faith: Yeah, you're not the one and only chosen anymore. Just gotta live like a person. How's that feel?  
  
Dawn: Yeah, Buffy. What are we gonna do now?  
  
It took me about 2 seconds to realize what we should do next.  
  
Everybody gathered around me. That was the biggest day/night of my life... for multiple reasons.  
  
Me: Anyone feel like rebuilding the council of watchers?  
  
* * *  
  
Los Angelus Actual Hotel room suite- night  
  
Chao Ahn sat on the couch, blasting her voice into the hotel phone. Nobody understood what she was saying, except for maybe the person on the other line. Vi walked passed me, slowly, cell phone held up to her ear. All of the surviving new slayers were getting in touch with their loved ones. It made me sad to think about the girls that didn't make it out alive... They all had families, waiting for them to come home...  
  
In the next room. I found Giles, Dawn, Kennedy, Willow, Wood and Andrew, all cheerfully talking to one another. Xander was missing. Everybody was celebrating our victory. There was a lot of bubbley Champaign and many drunk heroes. Even Dawn seemed to be drinking something, which I didn't bother putting a stop to. Kennedy poured herself another glass and refilled Willow's glass as well.  
  
Giles offered me a cup so I took it and drank a few sips. Andrew stumbled over to us. He wanted to know if we were serious about the whole council thing. I went to say something but I was interrupted by Kennedy's getting everybody's attention and toast-making.  
  
Kennedy [held up her glasses and spoke to the entire room]: People, I would just like to say that we owe everything to Willow. We wouldn't be here, if she wasn't-- isn't as powerful as she is. So thank you, Will.  
  
Everybody agreed and gave Willow a huge round of applause. After all the cheering died down, Andrew wandered away and Willow found Giles and me. Kennedy was with her, but then she went off to see how Rona was doing, since she got hurt so badly, in the fight earlier.  
  
Giles [to Willow]: You are truly incredible; do you know that?  
  
Willow: Aw, Giles! I can't take all the credit.  
  
Giles: Well, yes... [slur] It's been a real pleasure. I've always been the watcher, but not just Buffy's. I got to watch everybody-- to see you grow... as a person and as a witch. You've shown great power [slur] beyond my belief. Look at you, Willow! You're a bloody goddess!  
  
Willow: *giggles*  
  
Then Giles turned to me, remembering I was still there.  
  
Giles: What do you think, Buffy? Don't you have anything to say? Would you like to make a toast? Or something?  
  
It took me a few minutes to figure out what I was gonna say.  
  
Me: I admit it, I got pretty nervous for a minute there, but I knew that it'd be us standing in the end. Now I know, together, we can do ANYTHING. There's nothing out there worse than the first, and we crushedit. I am so proud of each and every one of you. Again, Willow, thank you for being so damn powerful!  
  
There was more cheering and slurring.  
  
Me: Now... I think we should have a moment of silence for those who are no longer with us. Spike... Joyce, Tara, Anya, Jenny, *looks at Wood* Nikki... Amanda, Eve, Cloe. Youuu-  
  
Andrew: And Jonathan!  
  
Buffy: *nods* And Jonathan. You will never be forgotten.  
  
Everyone got all serious and quiet for the one minute.  
  
Even though we did a nice thing, I suddenly felt worse, in some weird way.  
  
A few minutes later...  
  
Faith and Wood were hanging around each other for the most part. They seemed cozy. Had to get away that soon; it was starting to bug me, for some weird reason.  
  
Me [to Willow]: Hey, have you seen Xander?  
  
Willow: He's still on the bus. *grins*  
  
Me: He's upset about Anya...  
  
Willow: Well, that's normal. Of course he's gonna grieve...  
  
I nodded my head, sadly.  
  
Willow: So how you holding up?  
  
Me: Been better. I'm happy and everything but you know-- people died so, hey, sad.  
  
Do you think somebody should go check up on him?  
  
Andrew: Who? Xander? Yeah! I'll do it. *mutters* Nobody's talking to me here anyway...  
  
No. I wanted to go. I wasn't so much in a celebratey mood; I told Andrew that he should stay and I headed out the door.  
  
* * *  
  
On the back of the bus- with Xander  
  
A streetlamp's light fell through the window behind our heads, illuminating the area around us. Mixed feelings of triumph, relief and tremendous loss lingered in the air. It was suffocating. The gang had just saved the world. We should've been jumping for joy. But there were exactly 2 we weren't doing too much jumping: Spike and Anya. Instead, we just sat in silence, for a while.  
  
Then Xander absent-mindedly scanned through the scattered things around the bus, looking for nothing in particular. On the floor across from his seat was Andrew's duffel bag, with comic books and other assorted nerd possessions spilled out of it. Xander's eyes zeroed in on the video camera laying in a pile of clothes and a red cape.  
  
He leaped over his own pile of stuff and picked up the camera. The play button was  
  
calling his name, so he pressed it. On the small screen, I appeared, dressed in all black. I was obviously annoyed because I was stomping away from the camera man.  
  
"I told you I didn't want you doing that! It's distracting."  
  
A half smile escaped from Xander's mouth, as we watched. This tape had been created such a short while ago, yet so much has changed since then. For one thing, it was recorded in Sunnydale. A place that no longer exists; as of today. His finger glided over to the fast forward button.  
  
There were lots of shots of Anya. some of Spike. It was all very depressing. 


	2. The Two Sides

On the bus- the next morning  
  
Dawn's POV  
  
Over the last 24 hours, I've learned some very important life lessons. For one thing, alcohol equals much badness. Buffy's told me that a few hundred times, but I was all "Ehh. Big sisters are supposed to say crap like that." She even tried to scare me with a drunken college story of hers. But Buffy was so right on this one. Ow, my head hurts. Why did everybody let me drink so much last night? Don't they know I'm too young? Grr, I actually wish Buffy had stopped me; it would have saved me from experiencing this massive headache. And being on the road, with a bus full of other hangover-y people? Not helping. At least we'll be at Angel's soon. I was kinda bummed I didn't get to see him much, when he visited Sunnyd a couple of days ago.  
  
Hmm. Everyone's really quiet today. Probably half because they all feel as gross as I do, from all those evil drinks, and half cause nobody wants to talk about what happened last night. Ahuh... the bus is separated into two groups. Everyone who's on Buffy's side is sitting upfront, while everybody on Kennedy's side? Sat in the back. Giles in driving, so of course he's in the front, but he's on Buffy's side anyway, I think... Xander is too... and Willow...  
  
The rest of us are with Kennedy on this one. I however, am staying neutral. Am very pissed at both sides.  
  
Okay, so I know you're dying to know what happened. This is mostly how the whole Buffy/Kennedy fight went down:  
  
We were at this hotel... everybody was having a great time, drinking and laughing their asses off. After we had our moment of silence for all the people who've died over the years, Buffy got a bit emotional and disappeared for a while. Like an hour later, she came back real mad. And she was looking for Kennedy.  
  
Buffy: *storms up to Kennedy* What the HELL?  
  
Kennedy: *stops giggling with Willow and turns to Buffy* Wha?  
  
Buffy: You talked to the first, and you didn't tell anyone?!?!  
  
At this point, the whole room gathered around to see what was going on.  
  
Kennedy: *gulps* No. I. It wasn't important.  
  
Buffy: *glares at her* It wasn't important? Really Kennedy? God, we trusted you. EVERYTHING was important when it came to the first. This could've helped us out.  
  
So that was that. Kennedy talked to the first and didn't tell any of us. I think I passed out a little; cause I don't remember much of the actual fight, but I know that everyone's super pissed at each other.  
  
Andrew's POV  
  
No no NO. Things are just awful! I made those tapes so that everyone could see what heroes we are... not so we could turn into... Ahhh. I never should've made them. I'm so stupid. I wish I could take them back... no! Not really all of them... there's a lot of good stuff on those tapes... I just should've deleted that one scene, the minute that I saw it. This sucks. I hope Buffy and her friends are too busy being mad at Kennedy, to realize that that they should also be angry at me.  
  
Willow's POV  
  
I cannot believe this. After all that we've been through... After the Warren thing... our first date... our first kiss... after everything. She felt that she couldn't tell me that the first talked to her? Like I wouldn't have understood? Did she think I wouldn't try to help her? I don't know if we can recover from this. I am just so upset with her right now. This isn't right. We just saved the world and instead of it bringing us close together... Err. We're separating ourselves. It's like the first is tearing us apart or something. Even though it's not here anymore, it's getting it's revenge, even in death. This is exactly what it wanted. To see us in pain. That evil bastard.  
  
Author's note: Alrighty... how was the first two chapters? Should I go on? You'll find out what was on that tape in the next chapter. 


	3. Those Tapes

Kennedy's POV  
  
Andrew, that little maggot. Him and that stupid camera of his. Why did he have to leave it on like that?  
  
We made it to the Hypersion Hotel okay. I got to have my own room.  
  
Willow's so mad at me. Have you ever had somebody real pissed at you, but they say they're not? That girl was giving me some wicked fierce glares the whole way here, and then when I confronted her about it, she was all "I'm not angry. I just need some space." Fine. Willow needs some time away from me, I can handle that. Whatever it takes for her to get over this; which I am really really hoping she can and will.  
  
Since nobody's (meaning Willow) talking to me, and I have this big empty room all to myself, I took some time out to watch those tapes that's got Buffy and the gang all riled up.  
  
On the tape- in the basement  
  
Kennedy: *punches and kicks a punching bag, really hard and fast* Take that. evil thing!  
  
Tara/first: Impressive.  
  
Kennedy: Whoa.  
  
Tara/first: Y..y..you are gonna do SO great, when that big fight comes, I'm sure of it. *rolls eyes*  
  
Kennedy: Who the hell are you supposed to be?  
  
Tara/first: *giggles* Oops. Silly me. I forrr- got to introduce myself.  
  
Kennedy: *raises eyebrow*  
  
Tara/first: I'm T.Tara. Willow's dead ex-girlfriend. *goes to shake Kennedy's hand* Right. I'm incorporeal. Oh well. Nice to m-meet ya. *evil grin*  
  
Kennedy: *looks angry* So, that's what Tara looks like.  
  
Tara/first: Mmm. Aint she pretty?  
  
Kennedy: What are you doing here?  
  
Tara/first: Came to say hello. That's all.  
  
Kennedy: Whatever. I don't have time for your mind games. *goes back to her punching bag*  
  
Tara/first: *follows her* Like that's really gonna help. All your training? Isn't gonna get you anywhere. You're dealing with the first evil.  
  
Kennedy: *punches bag* We're stronger than you.  
  
Tara/first: Is that a fact? Little girl, all you've got is an army full of pimply teenagers, who don't know the right end of a stake.  
  
Kennedy: You getting scared?  
  
Tara/first: I do tremble. *laughs sarcastically*  
  
Kennedy: This is so pathetic. You have to walk around scaring your opponents, with a mask? That's your secret weapon?  
  
Tara/first: Oh, you've got some mouth. I can't wait to rip it off.  
  
Kennedy: How are you gonna do that, when you can't touch things? I'm just curious.  
  
Tara/first: Laugh it off all you want, child. I'm going to destroy you. There is no defeating the original evil. The first big bad... The-  
  
Kennedy: Will you shut up already? This is not helping your case. I'm not afraid of you.  
  
Tara/first: You must be so proud of yourself.  
  
Kennedy: Meaning?  
  
Tara/first: It must feel great to be the replacement girlfriend.  
  
Kennedy: *glares*  
  
Tara/first: You know it's true. Willow loved me, and me only. *flutters eyelashes modestly, as if it was really Tara*  
  
Kennedy: That is not true.  
  
Tara/first: Oh, I know you'd love it for it to be a lie. Face it Kennedy, you really were just a replacement. She's with you only cause you're here. Willow doesn't love you.  
  
Kennedy: Shut the hell up.  
  
Tara/first: Why do you think she was so hesitant? Cause she still loves me. But you are just so damn over pushy. You had to get your way, so she gave in. She's using you. Willow said so herself, just because I'm the first, doesn't mean I'm not telling the truth.  
  
Kennedy: Get out of here.  
  
That was the end of the tape. Guess it ran out of film.  
  
I can definitely see why they're upset with me. It was awful of me to not let them in on my little conversation with the first. I still don't think it's important for them to know, but I'm sorry; only because I got caught.  
  
* * *  
  
Xander's POV  
  
She... Anya... was, oh my god...  
  
Yesterday we saved the world. Just like we've been doing since we were fifteen. But it was different this time... Somebody I loved died. I mean, sure, people always died in battle before... I just didn't expect for Anya to go down. Why didn't I stay with her? Why did Andrew get to be there with her in the end? Why didn't I protect her, like I should have?  
  
So this is what it's like to lose a loved one. I really don't recommend it. It sucks the big one. I guess what they say is true, "You don't really appreciate someone, until they're gone." God, I miss her so much. I don't know if I can go on...  
  
While everybody else was up in the hotel, partying, I stayed on the bus. How could they be celebrating at a time like this? Okay, yeah... we saved the world, much goodness there, but Anya died for god's sake! Buffy came out to check on me at one point. She wasn't too happy either. We had ourselves a nice little convo. By nice, I mean seriously depressing. We talked about a lot of stuff. But mainly about people who've died. She told me I shouldn't blame myself for what happened to An, but how could I not? I should've been there! I could've done something...  
  
We got around to looking at Andrew's tapes that he made back in Sunnydale. I am so happy that he kept them... They're one of the only things I have left to remind me of Anya. The one with her monologue is the single, most important thing that I have ever watched.  
  
The tape- in the bathroom  
  
Anya: Hello world. I am Anya Jenkins. It's been a long rocky road for me. First I was human, then I chose to be a vengeance demon, then I was human again... Then a demon again. Finally I am human again.  
  
The other day, a very annoying little man boy told me that I've grown to love humans. I laughed it off and told him how untrue that statement was. Days later, I am still thinking about it. And you know what? That guy was right. I really do love humans; I just couldn't admit it before. But I'm saying it right now, out loud. I love humans. I really do. Because they never give up, they don't stop fighting for what's theirs. They are strong and I admire them. They inspired me to stay here and fight too.  
  
*Vi knocks on the door*  
  
*yells to the door* I'm in here! Come back later.  
  
Vi: Alright. Just don't take too long.  
  
*smiles at the camera* Anyway, back to me.  
  
*reaches behind the toilet and picks up a pregnancy test*  
  
I took a test. *shows test to the camera* See. *points to the pink line* It's pink. That means I'm pregnant. Yeah, go me. I'm having a kid. Day care workers of America, beware!  
  
Do I even have to tell you all who the father is? Okay, I will, for all the clueless people out there. It's Xander!  
  
*gets serious* I used to think love was a game. That's what you see it as, when you're a vengeance demon and you see how it destroys people, day after day. But I have truly learned how wonderful it can also be. I now know what it means to love somebody, and for them to completely love you back. Thank you, Xander, for teaching me. I love you with all my heart. *gets a bit teary* If we make it out of this thing alive, god, we are going to be so happy. I'm sure you'll want to make a family, after I tell you about our baby.  
  
Vi: *bangs on door* I really need to get in there, Anya.  
  
Hold your horses! I'll be done in a minute.  
  
Vi: Hurry up?  
  
Go away!  
  
*looks at the camera* Xander maybe we could even try the marriage thing again. I know we're not really over, cause we still spark. This baby can be our second chance. We can start again.  
  
But there's that pesky apocalypse standing in our way. You told me during the last one that everything was going to be okay and I believed you, then it really was okay. How come you didn't say that this time? *pauses* Guess it's really that bad. *another, longer pause* We're going to need a miracle, aren't we?  
  
If you don't live, but I do, I promise to forever keep your spirit alive. You'll still be here, because of your child and me. and your friends.  
  
If I die, and you live? Well that would really suck. Cause there won't be a little baby that's half mine running around, reminding you of me.  
  
*Vi bangs on the bathroom door again*  
  
Okay, I better go before that crazy slayer wannabe breaks down the door. Goodbye world. I love you all! Except for the bunnies, cause they're icky.  
  
*talks to Vi as she's shutting off the camera* One second. God, you are so goddamn impatient. 


End file.
